, Columnist
Why China Wants South Korea to Stay Open
Countries push for free trade when they have an edge. Beijing knows it.
Losing its edge.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Beijing has good reason to push Seoul to keep its doors open. The motivations are driven less by a belief in free trade and more about the emerging sectors where China is becoming a global leader, areas of South Korean industry most vulnerable to new competition.
Both sides should “maintain stable and smooth industrial and supply chains” between them and the world, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Sunday ahead of the two nations’ three-way summit this week that included Japan. “China is ready to work with South Korea to accelerate the second phase of China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations,” the official Xinhua News Agency cited Li as saying.